Juneau – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation sponsored by Congressman Don Young to allow a land exchange as part of the effort to build a road to connect the communities of King Cove and Cold Bay on the Alaska Peninsula. Speaker of the House Rep. Bryce Edgmon (D-Dillingham) released the following statement upon learning the results of today’s vote.

Anchorage – With the passage of legislation last week to reform Alaska’s oil industry subsidies, the attention of the Alaska Legislature turns to the Fiscal Year 2018 Capital Budget. That budget needs to pass before the start of the federal fiscal year in October in order to prevent the loss of over a billion dollars in federal funding. The Alaska House Majority Coalition hopes to negotiate a compromise with the Alaska State Senate and Governor Walker to pass the FY 18 Capital Budget before returning lawmakers to Juneau for final action. To this end, the Co-chairs of the Finance Committees in the House and Senate have already started meeting to discuss the details of a Capital Budget compromise.

Juneau – Tonight, the Alaska Legislature passed a compromise version of legislation to reform Alaska’s system of subsidizing the oil industry on the North Slope with tax credits. House Bill 111 ends Alaska’s unique cash for tax credits system and strengthens the four percent minimum tax to ensure Alaska receives some production tax revenue in times of low oil prices. Tonight’s compromise was brokered by House Resources Committee Co-chair Representative Geran Tarr (D-Anchorage), who served as the Chair of the HB 111 Conference Committee.

Anchorage – Representative Geran Tarr (D-Anchorage), Chair of the House Bill 111 Conference Committee, is calling the committee together for a meeting in Anchorage Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. to discuss a proposed compromise to end the unaffordable practice of paying oil companies on the North Slope cash for tax credits. The HB 111 Conference Committee is tasked with working out the differences between the competing versions of the bill passed by the Alaska House of Representatives and the Alaska State Senate.

Anchorage – The Alaska House Majority Coalition has communicated a proposed compromise to the Alaska Senate Majority to address oil tax credit reform, which is the subject of the ongoing Second Special Session of the 30th Alaska State Legislature. Coalition members support changes to House Bill 111 to end the practice of paying oil companies cash subsidies for certain tax credits. This is expected to save the State of Alaska an estimated $1.5 billion over the next ten years.